


Omnivorous

by Bug_53



Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: Gen, Headcanon, Humor, Mistakes, One Shot, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-05
Updated: 2020-11-05
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:27:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,468
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27389446
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bug_53/pseuds/Bug_53
Summary: It wasn't supposed to be like this. It was just supposed to be a simple dinner with her friend and partner. Just spending some time together as normal civilians after a long, grueling day at work. It wasnotsupposed to lead to another upheaval of her worldview.
Relationships: Judy Hopps & Nick Wilde
Comments: 13
Kudos: 46





	Omnivorous

**Author's Note:**

> Just a quick, fun little oneshot to introduce a little headcanon of mine. This is essentially a super condensed and highly downplayed version of the concept of my first Zootopia fanfic _Hunger,_ with all the supernatural elements removed. A down to earth version of the story to integrate this little characteristic of Judy’s into my main headcanon. ( _Hunger_ was always meant to be out of continuity, as I deliberately broke some of my own headcanons in it.) This may also borrow heavily from some of the original fanfics that inspired Hunger in the first place.
> 
> Thanks to Vulperne for providing the summary, BorgBorger for helping kickstart the first scene, and all my ZAA friends for their help and support.

“ _ Aah! _ ”

Nick gave out a yelp as he cracked his back. It had been a long and arduous day for the cop duo, with car chases, foot chases, investigation on disturbances, the works. But, finally, they were just about to clock out for the night.

“Nick, I know you're tired, but could you please keep it down?” asked Judy, as she glanced around the office, trying to see if any of their fellow officers found the fox's scream annoying.

“I dunno, Carrots,” the fox groaned. “I think I may be getting too old for this job.”

The doe turned to look at him, brow furrowed. “Nick, you’ve only been on the force for  _ two years, _ ” she said flatly.

“And it’s already wearing me out! I tell ya Carrots, as much as I like doing good for the city, it sure takes a lot out of a mammal sometimes.”

Judy sighed. “Well, I guess I can’t argue with you, there. My feet are  _ killing _ me right now.”

“I’d offer to carry you,” Nick said, “but I don’t think my arms would appreciate that right now.”

The bunny smirked. “You saying I’m too heavy?” she asked in mock offense.

Her partner smirked right back. “Oh,  _ please! _ ” he scoffed. “With all that dandelion salad you eat? It’s a wonder the  _ wind _ hasn’t managed to carry you off yet!”

Judy chuckled quietly at the joke, but then her face and ears fell. “Oh crabapples,” she groaned.

“What’s the matter?”

“I completely forgot to make dinner for tonight,” the doe sighed. “I don’t think I have the energy to whip anything up now.”

Nick shrugged. “Yeah, I’m pretty bushed myself,” he said. “Tell ya what? Let’s stop somewhere on the way home and I’ll grab us some takeout. My treat, okay?”

Judy smiled. “Sure, that’ll be fine. Nothing too fancy, though. Just something quick will do.”

The fox nodded in agreement. “Not a problem.”  


* * *

_ Bug-Burga _ was a prestigious name in the fast-food industry. Originally known for catering to a primarily predatory clientele, in recent years it had begun to experiment with more herbivorous menu options in hopes to broaden business to more prey customers. These included fresh salads, shoestring potato fries, various fruit smoothies, and most notably, a meatless burger with a patty comprised mainly of black beans and cremini mushrooms, dubbed the  _ Bud-Burga. _ Naturally, company policy required that all these items be prepared using separate equipment from the standard cicada burgers, cricket chips and grasshopper shakes, to avoid cross-contamination. Likewise, carry-out and drive-thru orders containing these items were also bagged separately from any insect based items for the same reason.

One of the chain’s first locations to begin offering these new, ‘herbivore friendly’ menu items happened to be in Savanna Central in Zootopia, just within walking distance of ZPD headquarters. Nick and Judy were by no means frequent patrons there, but they weren’t strangers to it either. Indeed, on occasions where they found themselves in a bind with little time or preparation for something better, they would stop by there for a quick eat-and-run meal. Their usual takeout order consisted of one deluxe cicada burger for Nick, one deluxe ‘Bud’ veggie burger for Judy, and one order of shoestring fries to share. Tonight’s order was no different, they placed it at the counter without issue and Judy called them a Zuber ride home as they waited.

As luck would have it, their driver arrived just as the order was brought out. Curiously however, they only received a single bag instead of the usual two. Suspecting a mix up, Nick peered inside the bag, but found all three of the items he’d asked for, and the receipt matched as well. This order was indeed the correct one, but they’d neglected to separate the cicada burger from the veggie burger and fries, as they were supposed to. Nick was somewhat irked by this oversight, but Judy told him it wasn’t that big a deal to her since the burgers were in boxes anyway.

They arrived back at their apartment in good time. Around two months ago, the two cops had resolved to chip in their weekly salaries together and move out of their old, shabby living spaces in favor of becoming roommates in a much better abode. As they spent most of their time together anyway, it seemed like a fair compromise. They’d already done well settling in, buying all the necessary furnishings and moving what little of their own possessions they already had. Judy’s microwave oven proved to be a godsend during their first week when they found out too late the conventional oven in this new apartment didn’t work and the landlord had to rush order them a new one.

They let themselves in and left the bag of food on the dining room table as they went into their respective bedrooms to change into some more comfortable clothing, under Judy’s insistence that they don’t risk ‘getting mustard stains on their uniforms.’ Nick came back out first, and strolled into the dining room to set the table. He dug two small paper plates and two drinking cups out of one of the cupboards, and set them before the chairs at the table. Then he made a trip to the refrigerator to fetch the water pitcher to fill the cups. The restaurant always supplied them with napkins whenever they ordered from there, so Nick was saved that effort. He pulled the carton of fries out of the bag and began dividing the contents between the two plates as evenly as he could. Once that was done, he fished the two burger boxes out and placed one by each plate of fries. As today’s strenuous shift had zapped the tod of much of his energy, he was mostly operating on autopilot, and didn’t think to pay close attention to the boxes as he laid them out.

No sooner had Nick finished his task, Judy came out of her bedroom and made her way to the table. “Looks like I got here just in time,” she said with a smile. “All of the food is still here.”

Nick sat down at his place and returned the grin. “Very funny,” he snarked. “You know, you can really put it away yourself sometimes.”

“What can I say?” Judy replied as she took her own seat. “Little bunnies have big appetites.”

“In that case, we’d better start now before it gets cold.”

They opened their boxes and wasted no time digging in. Not long after her first bite however, Judy began to notice something. She gave a curious “Hm,” as she did. Then, as she kept chewing, her face brightened slightly and she gave a second, more intrigued sounding “ _ Hm! _ ” She swallowed and looked down at her burger.

“Huh,” she remarked. “I don’t know why, but this kinda tastes different than usual.”

Nick looked at her, still chewing. “Oh, yeah?” he asked, voice muffled by his mouthful of food.

“Yeah. I’m not really sure how to describe it, but it definitely tastes different. You think they changed the recipe?”

Nick swallowed and looked thoughtful. “I don’t know, but now that you mention it,  _ my _ burger actually tastes a little off, too.”

“It does?”

“Yeah, it’s weird. I don’t know if I’d say it’s better or worse than I remember, but it sure isn’t the same flavor I’m used to getting from these.”

The doe smiled. “Well, whatever they did differently this time I hope they keep it up! This may be the best veggie burger I’ve ever had!” She eagerly took another big bite, and let out a very satisfied “Mm- _ mmm! _ ”

Nick laughed. “Careful, don’t eat too fast!” he chortled as he grabbed a fry from his plate.

The bunny and fox went on eating, Judy enjoying her burger especially. Nick still liked his as well, but not nearly as much in comparison. Even so, the more of it he ate, the more the difference in taste began to nag at him. He didn’t know why, but he just couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t right.

It wasn’t until he’d eaten more than half of it that he finally took a closer look at the little box his sandwich came in. It was the same old, familiar styrofoam burger box, with the Bug-Burga logo neatly printed on the top. Very normal.

But then, Nick’s eyes snapped wide open and he nearly choked on his food as he spotted another detail he hadn’t before. Adhered to the top of his burger box was a small, bright green sticker with the words ‘VEGGIE PATTY’ printed in bold lettering.

Nick gulped. He looked back at the mostly eaten burger in his paws. If  _ this _ was actually the veggie burger, then that could only mean…

“Mm-mmm.”

Nick hastily turned to his partner, and found her wiping her face with one of the napkins. Both her plate and her burger box were completely empty, no trace of her meal left in sight.

_ Oh, boy… _

Judy looked down at the table. “Yowzers!” she exclaimed. “I must have been hungrier than I thought!”

The doe looked over at her partner, and was surprised to find him sitting still as a statue, staring at her with wide eyes, almost like he was expecting her to explode any second. “Why are you looking at me like that?” she asked.

Nick eyed her up and down for a moment, but didn’t move his head. “Uhh,” he said nervously. “Are you… feeling okay?”

Judy was puzzled. “Yeah, why?”

The fox hesitated for a moment. His ears sagged and he gave an awkward smile. “Eh heh heh heh… Well,” he began, trying to be gentle. “I… may have sorta… gotten our burgers mixed up.”

Judy’s brow furrowed. “W-…  _ What? _ ”

Nick darted his eyes around in embarrassment. “Yeeeah, I think maybe that’s why they tasted so different this time. I was just so beat and wanted to get dinner ready for us that I guess I just didn’t pay attention.”

Judy looked blank for a moment. “Let me get this straight.” She pointed to the sandwich remains in Nick’s paws. “ _ That _ is actually my veggie burger?”

Nick nodded slowly.

The doe now gestured to herself. “And the one that  _ I _ just finished, was actually…” She looked back over at her empty box. Heart pounding, she quickly picked it up and looked at the top, and terror overtook her face as she found a small, bright red sticker with ‘CICADA PATTY’ printed in large letters stuck to it.

The bunny’s ears fell back, her breaths quickened. “ _ Oh, gosh… _ ” Her paws began to tremble, causing her to drop the burger box on the table.

Nick put his food down on his plate, but kept looking at his partner. “Judy?”

Judy stood up from her chair and clasped her paws over her mouth. “Oh,  _ gosh! _ Oh,  _ no! _ ”

“ _ Judy? _ ” Nick stood up and took hold of her. “Judy, don’t panic.”

“ _ Don’t panic?! _ ” Judy spluttered. “Nick, I’m a  _ bunny! _ A  _ herbivore! _ We’re not supposed to eat meat, our bodies aren’t built for it!”

Nick put his paws up. “Alright, alright, just calm down, okay? You’ve got a doctor now, don’t ya? Do you have their number?”

Judy darted her eyes round, mind racing. “Uh, yeah! Yeah, Dr. Mugwort! I have him on my phone!” She frantically dug through her pocket and yanked the device out before handing it to the fox. “You’d better talk to him, I’m way too flustered!”

“Okay, I’ll take care of it,” Nick soothed. “You just have a seat and try to relax a bit if you can.”

Judy returned to her chair and buried her face in her paws as Nick browsed her phone contacts. “What a story this’ll make,” she croaked. “First rabbit Officer Hopps, done in by a  _ sandwich! _ ”

_ I gotta admit, _ Nick thought as he tapped the call button,  _ that  _ would _ make for an eye catching headline. _

After a minute or two of anxious waiting, the phone finally patched through. “Hello, this is Dr. Thomas Mugwort, can I help you?”

“Hey there, Doc, this is Nick Wilde speaking. I’m calling on behalf of my partner, Judy Hopps. She’s with me here right now. We were just finishing up dinner, and something kinda went wrong.”

“Alright. What seems to be the trouble, Mr. Wilde?”

Nick rubbed the back of his head. “Well, it was actually mostly my fault, but anyway we had a really long day, so we decided to get some takeout from Bug-Burga. But after we got here I started sorting the food out, and I guess I didn’t pay attention and accidentally got her veggie burger and my cicada burger mixed up.”

“Mhm, and let me guess,” answered Mugwort. “You didn’t find out until  _ after _ you both finished eating?”

“Right on the money, Doc,” Nick sighed. “Is there anything we need to do? She’s really worried about it.”

“You said she’s with you right now?”

“Yup, she’s sittin’ right next to me.”

“Good. Put the phone on speaker, I want you both to hear this.”

Nick didn’t understand where this was going, but went along with it. He sat back in his chair and held the phone before Judy. “Hey, Carrots, he wants us both to listen.” Though still visibly distraught, Judy uncovered her face and looked down at the device as Nick set it to speaker mode. “Alright Doc, you’re on the air.”

“Hello, Judy,” said Mugwort cheerfully. “So, Mr. Wilde tells me you had a little mix up with your dinner?”

“Yes,” Judy answered mournfully. “Am I gonna be okay? Should I come in right away?”

“No, no, that shan’t be necessary,” the doctor soothed. “Now, by the sound of things I’m sure you are both under the persuasion that herbivorous mammals are generally restricted to primarily plant based diets, and that any attempt to consume non-plant based proteins would be incredibly hazardous to their health and thus should be avoided. Is that correct?”

Judy and Nick glanced at each other. “Well, yeah,” Judy said. “That’s what I was always told.”

“Mhm,” agreed Nick. “Been that way since the stone age.”

“Well, yes,” Mugwort replied. “It  _ was _ that way in the stone age. But let me ask this: are you both also aware that in the stone age, many species of predatory mammals were actually fully carnivorous in a similar vein?”

Nick raised his paw. “I  _ did _ know that actually,” he said with a proud smile. “But over the last few thousand years, they gradually evolved to be able to consume and metabolize plants and other non-meat nutrients, thus rendering the need for hunting moot.”

“That’s exactly right!” Mugwort said. “Very good, Mr. Wilde!”

Nick turned to his partner, who gave him a deadpan look. “What? I paid attention in school,” he said. “…Most of the time.”

Judy sighed and turned back to the phone. “Here I am probably dying of food poisoning and you want to show off how much you know biology…”

“Nevermind, Judy,” Mugwort chuckled. “Anyway, yes. Carnivorous predators gradually evolved to be able to consume and metabolize plants just as well as most herbivores. But what if I told you two that conclusive studies and tests have proven that, contrary to popular belief,  _ herbivores _ actually went through a very similar evolution in the inverse way? One that actually made it safe for them to occasionally consume and metabolize things like insect and fish protein, despite still not necessarily requiring it?”

The two cops were surprised. “No kiddin’?” Nick remarked.

Judy looked thoughtful. “Are you saying that… if a herbivore, like say, a  _ bunny, _ were to eat some kind of meat based food product, say, a  _ cicada burger, _ it wouldn’t actually hurt them?”

“If the food in question was properly prepared, and so long as the  _ ahem  _ BUNNY in question remembered to only do such a thing in moderation, then yes, they would be completely unharmed,” the doctor explained. “In fact, thousands of years ago, it actually wasn’t uncommon for lagomorphs to partake in the occasional insect now and again.”

Judy’s face brightened a bit. “So, I guess I’m gonna be okay.” It was a statement, not a question.

Her partner smiled. “It would seem so!”

Judy took the phone back. “Thank you so much, Dr. Mugwort. I feel so much better now.”

“Happy to help, Judy,” he replied. “Oh, and one more thing: although you should be fine, on the off chance you start to experience any nausea, abdominal pain, fever, vomiting or anything of that sort, call me back and we’ll see what needs to be done, alright?”

Judy smiled. “Okay, thank you.”

“Have a good evening, you two.”

The call ended. Judy slumped in her chair and heaved a sigh of relief.

“You okay now, Carrots?”

The doe nodded. “Sorry I freaked out on you like that.”

Nick shook his head. “Nah, anyone would have done the same. I’m just sorry I mixed our food up in the first place.”

The doe put a paw on the tod’s shoulder. “We all make mistakes, Nick,” she said kindly. “Besides, it probably didn’t help that they forgot to separate them back at the restaurant.”

Nick chuckled. “Yeah, that was pretty sloppy of ‘em, wasn’t it? If that ever happens again, I’m gonna have some serious words for the manager.” He turned his attention back to his nearly depleted meal. “But for now, I think I’ll just finish this so we can call it a night.” He picked the veggie burger back up and took another bite. “You know, this thing really isn’t half bad. I might actually start eating more of these myself.”

Judy straightened up. “Yeah, they’re pretty good. Better than a lot of other meatless burgers I’ve had.”

Nick swallowed and looked curiously at her. “Say, uh… what did you think of… the real thing?”

Judy was a little stunned. She half expected Nick would ask, and she could hardly blame him for being curious, but she was still taken aback at first. She looked down and thought it over for a minute, while Nick went on munching the last of his fries as he waited for her response.

“You know,” she said at last, “I… actually really liked it.”

Nick paused for a moment, then a smirk spread across his face. “Really?”

Judy looked back up at him. “Yeah, I honestly thought it was really, really good. Amazing, even.”

The fox laughed. “Well, well, well! Ladies and Gentlemammals, she’s an omnivore after all!” He extended one paw. “Welcome to the club, Officer Hopps!”

Judy rolled her eyes and shook his paw. “I’m honored,” she snarked.

Nick threw the very last bite of veggie burger into his mouth, pondering as he chewed it and gulped it down. “You know,” he said, “now that we know it’s okay for you to eat stuff like that once in a while, maybe I could introduce you to a few more staples of the predator diet that I happen to enjoy. Whaddya think?”

Judy considered. “Come to think of it, there  _ are _ a few things I’ve seen you eat that I‘ve wondered about. I suppose as long as I’m careful, it might actually be kinda fun to try new, more predatory foods.”

Nick patted her on the back. “That’s the spirit! Embrace your newfound taste for the unknown! Explore uncharted territory! Go where no bunny has ever gone before!”

Judy raised her paws. “Alright, alright, don’t milk it!” she laughed. “That’d be great, Nick. It’ll be nice to have another thing in common.”

“Yeah. Not to mention, it’ll make some meals a bit easier on both of us.” The fox chuckled. “Can’t wait to see other mammals’ reactions when they look at us and see a bunny chowing down on some cricket chips or a little piece of shrimp.”

Judy sighed. “As long as nobody freaks out or anything.” At that thought, another thing crossed the bunny’s mind. “Um, Nick?”

“Yeah?”

“Could you, uh… keep this mostly between the two of us? I mean, outside of any strangers who just happen to catch sight of me eating meat when we dine out, could this please just be our little secret? I can’t bear to even imagine how my parents would react if they found out.”

Nick gave a comforting smile. “Sure thing, Fluff. My maw is sealed.”

Judy smiled back. “Thanks, Partner.”

With that, the duo embraced each other into a gentle hug. Nick gave Judy a couple pats on the back.

“ _ BEEEEELCH! _ ”

They froze for a moment. Nick pulled out of the hug to see Judy with one paw over her mouth and her eyes wide with embarrassment.

“Eh heh heh,” she chuckled quietly. “Excuse me.”

Nick just donned his signature smirk. “As I said; welcome to the club.”


End file.
